Sasha White's Blog, page 33
November 6, 2010
Snippet Saturday
This weeks snippet theme is Bring Me A Tissue. which made this the perfect time to get back to posting these saturdays excerpts on a regular basis.
Meandros was the first story that I ever wrote where the character took over the story I'd planned to write. It's been available in a few ways over the years and I recently released it on Kindle and Smashwords for 99 cents, with the profits going to Cancer research. It's an emotional story, but one that I believe is ultimately both erotic and uplifting. This is the first scene of the story, and it went exactly as I'd planned, until I got to the final line….then I was stumped. I certainly hadn't planned that part, and it shifted the story completely.
However, after struggling to learn to trust the character, MEANDROS has become one of my all time favorite stories.
Excerpt from Meandros:
It was no secret.
The minute I saw them, I knew in my heart what they were going to do—the same thing Tom and I did on our first flight together. Memories of that honeymoon flight to Greece washed over me and, although I didn't think it was possible, my heart broke just a little bit more. Turning away, I looked out the small window into the pitch-black emptiness that mirrored my soul.
Visions of Tom, who was never far from my thoughts, filled my mind, and I turned away from the window. I pretended to watch the movie flickering on the silent screen, but really, my gaze was inexorably drawn to the couple two rows in front of me. We'd been older than them when we got married, and not so innocent, but we were definitely just as in love. And expressing that love, anywhere and everywhere, had been one of our favorite pastimes.
The lights of the plane had been dimmed on that initial flight, too, and most of the passengers were already asleep as we'd cuddled beneath our blankets. Tom's muscled body relaxed next to me as he'd drifted off to sleep. I'd curled up on his chest to watch the movie and just enjoy being in his arms. The musky scent of man mixed with his woodsy cologne cocooned me, making me feel safe and loved.
The need to be closer was too strong to be ignored, so I let my hand inch over his leg and between his thighs. I cupped him gently, just holding him, not stroking or squeezing. It was a comfort to me, to know I could touch this beautiful man, any way, any time, and any place, and he would always welcome it. We'd fallen asleep before with me cupping his softness in my hand. The action wasn't always sexual, but this time his heartbeat changed beneath my ear, and his cock stirred under my fingers. Unable to resist the pull of that heavy pulse, I tugged gently at the zipper of his jeans, praying the rasp of the metal teeth parting didn't draw any attention to us.
Tom's hand reached up and cupped the back of my head, his fingers tangling in my hair lazily as he hugged me closer. His lips pressed softly against my forehead and I slipped my hand into his pants, giving his cock an answering squeeze.
I wrapped my fist around him and stroked my thumb gently up and down the shaft. When he was long and thick, I stopped stroking, and just held him in the palm of my hand. I felt the throb of hot blood beneath silken skin, the heat and hardness that caused my own body to instinctively soften and dampen. With a twitch of my thumb lovingly across the smooth head, I felt a bit of liquid seep out, and joy saturated my being.
That cock, that man, belonged to me, just as all I was belonged to him. The undeniable need to have him inside me, to become one, burned through my body. We were so in tune with each other then that Tom felt the change in me, the shift from loving to lusting. He leaned in and whispered wickedly in my ear, "Tuck that back in, baby, and follow me."
Before he was even done speaking, my body was reacting to his words. Blood pumped from my heart straight to my core. Heat coiled low in my belly, my pussy lips swelled, and a rush of moisture flooded my panties.
I took a deep breath, sat back in my seat, and tried to remain calm while Tom walked to the back of the plane. We'd been very well behaved during the wedding, not wanting to offend each other's family, but that time was over. Now we were away from them, alone, it was our time. It was time to play.
Unable to wait any longer, I stood and cautiously made my way down the aisle to the lavatory I'd seen Tom slip into. I glanced at the other passengers as I went, my hands gripping the back of the seats for balance as the plane bounced and noticed most were asleep, but others were awake, reading, or watching the in-flight movie. I stopped in front of the folding doors marked with a toilet symbol just as the attendant was leaving the galley with another tray of juice and water.
I rapped a knuckle lightly on the door, it opened, and I stepped into the small space then slid the lock into place behind me. Once inside, I saw Tom already had his pants undone and his cock in hand.
He inched sideways and eased me in front of him, wrapping muscled arms around me from behind. His front to my back, his lips brushed my ear as he whispered loud enough to be heard over the plane's engines, but not so loud someone outside the door could hear.
"I deserve a reward for being such a good boy all day. All I wanted to do every time I held you in my arms was lift up your skirt, bend you over, and lick you." He pushed me forward softly, tilting me off balance so I had to place my hands on the wall above the toilet to stay standing. That left my ass thrust out against him, a favorite position for us both because the wall helped support my weight when my legs got shaky. He lifted my skirt and continued to whisper in my ear as his hands roamed over my body. The body I'd promised was his to do with what he wanted.
My heart pounded in my chest and the world around me narrowed until only he and I existed. Until only his breath on my skin, his words in my ears, his hands on my skin mattered.
"I wanted to start at your ankles with my tongue, and work my way up between those thighs." He suited actions to words, his calloused fingertips trailing over the bare skin of my legs, my inner thighs. "I wanted to worship you. . .to show you just how much you mean to me. How happy you've made me simply by being you, my perfect other half."
Biting my lip to keep from moaning aloud, I let my head drop forward. I thrust my hips back against him, his next words fanning the flames of lust burning through me.
"But now, I just need to be inside you. To sink my cock into your cunt, and show you how we fit together."
In words barely distinguishable over the rumbling engines that echoed through the small space, I answered him, egging him on. "I don't need you to worship me. I need you to fuck me. Now!"
Tom didn't wait for me to finish speaking. He shifted the skimpy material of my thong aside and shoved his cock home. "I said I wanted to worship you, and I will. . .when we get to Athens. For now, I just want to make you mine. To feel you clench around me when you come, and know this is only the beginning for us."
His hands cupped my small breasts from behind, supporting me, as he thrust fast and hard. Another whimper of pleasure escaped my lips when he pinched a hard nipple between his fingers, and he shushed me between his own panting breaths. Shifting my feet as far apart as I could, I ignored the trembling in my knees and braced myself on the wall, back arched, butt tilting out for him like a bitch in heat. He was right. The time for worshipping and lovemaking would be later, but for now, a good hard fuck was the perfect way to consummate our vows.
Another louder moan escaped and this time Tom didn't bother to shush me. Instead, he removed one of his hands from my breast, placed it over my mouth, and pumped harder. Tilting my head back, I sucked his scent in through my nostrils and parted my lips beneath his hand. Adrenaline flew through my system, strengthening my shaky legs. With a nip at the flesh of his fingers, I tasted the musky salt flavor of his own pre-come and let my eyes roll back into my head. An orgasm twisted its way through my body, building speed and intensity as it went.
I was in heaven. It didn't matter I was in a cramped closet of an airplane bathroom. I knew that was part of the turn-on for him, and his arousal turned me on. He turned me on. Just being anywhere near Tom made me into an insatiable wanton who'd do anything to please him. Knowing he felt the same way made releasing my inner slut heavenly.
Tom's cock swelled inside me as his fingers tightened around my breast and across my mouth and I peaked. A scream ripped from my throat at the same time his teeth bit into my shoulder, and a guttural groan blended with the muffled jet engines.
We stood like that for a minute afterwards. Tom's heaving chest against my back, his cheek resting on my shoulder. His breath puffing gently across my neck, his cock softening inside my pussy.
Finally, he wrapped his arms around me completely, hugged me tight and told me he loved me. He then pressed a gentle kiss to my neck and pulled away.
I twisted around to see him tuck himself back inside his jeans and wink devilishly.
"I want us both to know your come will be coating my dick until you can lick it off."
With that comment, he'd edged out of the tiny stall and left me to readjust my clothes. I savored the knowledge he was just as dirty as I was. He was my perfect other half. I gloried in the knowledge that, with him, I'd found the kind of love I'd given up on ever finding—bone deep and unconditional.
The kind of love that made it unbearable to contemplate what life had to offer me now that he was gone.
Leah Braemel
Lissa Matthews
Mari Carr
McKenna Jeffries
Taige Crenshaw
Vivian Arend
Ashley Ladd
Delilah Devlin
HelenKay Dimon
Lauren Dane
Shelley Munro
TJ Michaels
November 2, 2010
It's Tuesday so I'm over at Genreality today. The post is...
It's Tuesday so I'm over at Genreality today. The post is nothing special, but it is full of links to other posts that I think writers will enjoy.
October 31, 2010
Pondering
Today I'm wondering whats the better career move-write tons and hope to hook enough readers that I'll someday be a "name"…or focus on one track to success, and rock that track like no one else.
What's brought this on? I'm surfing author websites and seeing how so many of them are writing for multiple publishers in multiple genres. I'm not just talk ing about 2 here either. I'm talking about three or four publishers and four or five genres. It seems like everyone (almost) I know is writing in a minimum of three genres. Erotic romance, romantic suspense, paranormal romance, urban fantasy, cowboys, historicals and contemporaries.
Because I'm finally back to writing, and I've surprised myself by what I am writing, I'm thinking the time off I took was a great thing. I have a much better handle on what I want to write, and what suits me. The question in my mind now is, is it going to hurt me to not write every thing that pops into my head? Or are all these authors who are doing that going to soon burn out the way I did? And if they aren't going to, why did I?
Yes, intellectually I know we all do things differently, and we all have our paths to take, but part of me can't help but be a little…worried that by limiting myself to one (or perhaps two at the most) thing I might be limiting my chances at success.
What do you think? Is it better to write everything that pops into your head (and these are authors who are not only writing them, but selling them) or can focussing on one thing yield the same, or more, success career wise?
October 29, 2010
Winging it.
"I have learned, as a rule of thumb, never to ask whether you can do something. Say, instead, that you are doing it. Then fasten your seat belt. The most remarkable things follow".
Julia Cameron
Yesterday Charlene Teglia pitched an idea to me and another friend, and I'm running with it. This weekend I won't be working on the project I'd planned to but this new one. It should be quick, and lots of naughty fun. Like Julia Cameron says, sometime you just need to fasten your seatlbelt and go with it.
I'll tell you more about what the idea is next week. For now, the weekend is here, and I hope you enjoy it!
October 27, 2010
Pretty….
I found this video through Facebook. A friend shared it, and I shared it three to get it more exposure. But it's not really enough for me. I want to share it more. The message is one that I think needs to be shouted from the rooftops.
I don't have kids, but I've worked with enough kids, teens, and twenty-somethings, never mind adults, to know that this message needs to be spread more fully.
So.. watch, listen, and pass it on.
October 24, 2010
Meandros
When I first started writing I wrote short stories. Short as in 5k word count, or less, and I enjoyed it. I still enjoy doing that length from time to time, and you'll find them often in the back of novels as bonus's. I have several of these stories that were published in anthologies ver the years, that I still retain the rights to. I've wanted to have them re-released but most ePublishers minimum word count is in the 12-15k range, so they're too short. But now I can republish them on my own, with Amazon and B&N and so on. And I am going to.
Meandros is one of those stories. It was first published by Amber Quill Press back in 2005. I got the rights back in 2007, and put it up as a free read for a while. Now I'm putting it up as a Kindle/Nook release. Yes, it was a free read before, but Amazon will only let publishers put up free reads on Kindle, not just anyone. So, I'm pricing it at 99 cents, and the profits from the Kindle sales will be donated to Cancer research.
You can see the new cover art for it below, and I'm happy to say I did it myself. I think I did a much better job with it this time around that when I'd put it up as a free read. 
It's getting formatted right now, and should be available for purchase early in November.
October 22, 2010
TGIF
I find it funny that I look forward to Fridays not because it's almost the weekend and my work week is almost done, but because it's just the opposite for me.
Just over a month ago I changed my night job to a day job. I still work in a bar, but I now work days shift instead of night shift. I did this because the days shifts are set Mon-thurs,and that leaves me a three day weekend every week. It's less money in tips, but I did it because that three day weekend each week is my working time. TIme to work on my career,not just my job.
My career has turned out to be more than just writing. I'm also doing more photography, and cover art for some kindle releases as well. I love the variety of creative things, and I think this is one of the reasons I'm excited about writing more too. Since the cover art is connected , in a way, with my writing, I'm going to be sharing some of it with you.
The first cover I did for someone was for Delilah Devlin's straight to Kindle Release Pleasing Sir.
What do you think?
I'll share more covers as I go, as I'm back to blogging on a regular basis now. :)
Have a great weekend!
October 20, 2010
The last Ninc post
OK folks, today is the last of my posts about the Novelists Inc conference. (Did you check out the one from yesterday's Genreality post?) I'm not even going to say anything, instead, I'm going to show you what others have to say. Check out the video clips below.
Be sure to watch the last one. It's a good one. :)
Publicist Joan Schulhafer and co-owner of Fireside Books and Gifts Linda Parks, and author Patricia McLinn.
Denise Dietz...author, singer, actress
October 19, 2010
Podcasting?
I'm over at the Genreality Blog today, drop by and take a peek at what I learned in the podcasting workshop, as well as my first dip ino the pool with a video camera. The camera was one I borrowed form a friend for the conference, but I think I might go buy one for myself. It was kinda fun. *grin*
October 18, 2010
Meant to be?
I'm one of those people who believes in signs, and honestly, right now the signs are pointing toward the time being right for me to get my butt back in the chair and my hands on the keyboard. The signs are pointing towards me writing seriously again, and I'm following them. A big part of my momentum right now was the Novelists Inc conference in St.Pete Beach Florida at the start of the month.
Because I was slow in actually registering for the conference I ended up with a hotel room in the sister hotel to the one the conference was in. In my mind it wasn't that big a deal really, walking on the beach for 5 minutes to and from wouldn't be a hardship. Then, by fluke, things started to fall into place in a strangely fluid way. I heard about someone needing a roommate in the main hotel. YAY me, a chance to save money and be in the main hotel. Then another friend decided to go to the conference, and she was renting a car. Yay for me, a ride from the airport. Then when I emailed a friend who I knew lived in Florida, but not where, I found out she lived right there!!
Of course I was excited about leaving the brisk fall weather of Northern Alberta behind to spend a week at a beach resort in Florida,but even better than the beach, was the conference itself.
Last night I posted an interview I did with the fabulous Dr. D.P. Lyle, and tomorrow I'll start posting some other bits and bites I video taped while there that will show I wasn't the only one invigorated by this conference. (I might get some up tonight, depending on how I feel after work)
It would be easy to say the conference was such as success becasue it was at a beach resort, but in all honesty, thats only a small part of it. The beauty of the Ninc conference was in the speakers and the attendees. The conference started off with a bang with the one day Future of Publishing panels. A full day of people from the top of their profession, be it agent, editor, marketing, writing, or literary law, all talking openly and honestly about the industry. The best thing about it was that there were many differing opinions, and all were given a chance to speak so we could hear things from many angles.
In fact, that seemed to be the unspoken theme of the rest of the conference too. There were workshops on piracy, marketing, planning the perfect murder and contract negotiations, and each one exposed to us that as authors we have options. Now is a time to stop thnking about the way things should be done, an do them the way we want, be it writing the way we want, or publishing the way we want. We don't all want the same things from our careers, so why should we try to do the same things?
Anyway, one of the high points of the conference for me was Friday night. I'd planned to head back to the hotel room after dinner, and skip the NightOwl sessions in order to edit some photo's I'd taken that morning. Only something made me follow my roommate back down to the conference rooms and I ended up taking part in two amazing sessions. One was the GET CRAZY CREATIVE WITH STORY COMPASS©, with Melinda Haynes and the other was FINDING YOUR VOICE: FAN MAIL FROM THE FUTURE with Jennifer Stevenson.
Jordan Summers and I sat next to each other for the story compass one, and it was fun and yes, cray creative. We had many laughs,(like when I had to ask openly what a verb was *blush*) but we were both also very inspired by the whole thing. Then we moved next door for the Finding Your Voice one. My roommate, JoAnna Grote joined us as the three of us did the group exercises Jennifer lead us through and it was amazing. I could explain what we did, but really, my explanations would not do it justice. Just know that if you ever get the chance to take the workshop, do it!! Jordan, JoAnn and I got chased out of the room when the workshop was over because we were still discussing what we'd learned. We went and sat in the hotel lobby for another two hours chatting about it all, and that time alone was worth the cost of the conference.
If I wasn't a believer in signs before, I certainly am now. So…what's next for me? Well, right now I'n trying to organize some of my old short stories into something readable so that I can put them up on kindle. I want to explore all my options as an author, and I'm very interested to see what will happen with them. Look for a release from me in early November. :)
For those of you looking for some awesome recaps on the information from NINC, I suggest you check out Jordan's blog. She's much better at it than me, and she's already got ones up on Piracy, Contract clauses and the future in general.
